Chapter 92.
Under the heavy, reverent stares of the room, Shijun couldn't help but feel a prickle of discomfort.
He released a quiet, helpless sigh.
I just wanted to make a decent bowl of soup. My sheer skill simply refuses to let me keep a low profile.
This was precisely why he hadn't wanted to accept Joichiro's challenge in the first place.
Look at the aftermath: everyone was now gazing at him as if he were some peerless, untouchable culinary deity. How was he supposed to live a laid-back, happy campus life when his friends treated him like a shrine?
Joichiro seemed to notice the boy's awkwardness and offered a slightly embarrassed, yet incredibly warm smile.
His eyes, however, were brimming with absolute admiration and profound expectation. To step so casually into the apex intent of cooking at a mere sixteen years old—and to effortlessly guide a veteran like himself through the door—was unfathomable.
What heights would this young man reach in the future? A culinary grandmaster? The only Spokesperson of Cooking?
Joichiro couldn't even begin to calculate it, but he was fiercely looking forward to witnessing Shijun's future.
After everyone had thoroughly demolished the sumptuous feast, Joichiro finally bid his farewells.
He was eager to return to Restaurant Yukihira, desperate to lock himself in a kitchen and solidify this newfound, fragile understanding of the Intent.
Shijun nodded in perfect understanding. Stepping through the door was only the beginning; Joichiro needed to cook tirelessly to forge that fleeting sensation into permanent muscle memory.
With the legend gone, the tension in the room finally snapped.
Yuki Yoshino practically collapsed backward onto the sofa, shamelessly rubbing her distended belly.
"Oh my god~ I have never had a meal that delicious in my entire life!"
"Especially Shijun's miso soup—the aftertaste is incredible. I feel like my appetite was just forcibly reset! I could easily inhale another massive bowl of rice right now!"
The energetic girl had completely abandoned any pretense of ladylike grace. The moment she set her bowl down, she babbled on in pure, food-induced ecstasy.
"Still eating?! Your stomach looks like it's about to burst open!"
Soma retorted, exasperated.
Despite the banter, Soma's internal state was a tangled mess of complex emotions. He had never, in his wildest dreams, expected his invincible father to lose to Shijun. And it hadn't even been a close contest; there was zero suspense.
The sheer, unfathomable gap made Soma feel as though surpassing Shijun was a mathematical impossibility. Yet, at the same time, witnessing the clash had opened his eyes to the true summit of the culinary world. Clenching his fists, Soma silently swore that one day, he too would step into that terrifying intent.
Across the table, Erina desperately wanted to slump back in her chair and mimic Yuki's lazy posture.
Her stomach was also uncomfortably tight. She had eaten far, far too much.
But to maintain her flawless Queenly dignity, she gritted her teeth, enduring the heavy fullness, and sat rigidly upright on her chair. It was just that holding her posture so perfectly was beginning to make her stomach cramp.
Shijun shot her an amused, sidelong glance.
"Careful." he teased lightly. "If you hold your breath and suck your stomach in any longer, you're going to pass out. It's perfectly fine to admit you have a food coma, you know."
Erina froze, her brain momentarily short-circuiting.
When the realization of what he was implying hit her, a furious, cherry-red blush exploded across her cheeks.
"W-What nonsense are you spouting?! I merely ate a fraction more than my usual portion—"
Her haughty, tsundere facade was instantly shattered by his casual observation. Yet, strangely, Erina realized she wasn't actually furious. In the past, such insolence would have enraged her, but now, the dynamic felt different. She hadn't even noticed the subtle, profound shift in her own attitude toward him.
Maria, who had quietly enjoyed the feast alongside them, tactfully abstained from the commentary. She had the luxury of tasting the young master's cooking occasionally, and was intimately aware of how terrifying his true level was. Clearing the plates with practiced grace, she retreated to the kitchen to handle the dishes.
Yuki sprawled further across the sofa, treating it entirely like her own home.
"Could you at least try to maintain a shred of your public image?"
Ryoko Sakaki sighed, shaking her head at her roommate.
"Who cares? It's not like Shijun minds!" Yuki waved a hand dismissively. "Speaking of which, we're totally stuffed and in a food coma. What are we supposed to do now?"
Shijun didn't mind her lack of manners in the slightest; in fact, he appreciated Yuki's unabashed honesty. It was certainly more refreshing than Erina's stubborn pride.
He smiled, leaning against the counter.
"Since we've got time to kill and no one can move, why don't we play some cards?"
Idle time was meant to be enjoyed, and Shijun was in the mood for some lighthearted fun.
"Count me out." Satoshi Isshiki chimed in, standing up and stretching. "I need to get back and tend to the vegetable garden."
The eccentric senior, deeply connected to nature, could never neglect his precious crops for long.
Soma stood up to follow him. He had been hit with a massive reality check today and genuinely needed some quiet time in the kitchen to process his thoughts.
With the two boys departing, Shijun suddenly realized the demographic of the room had drastically shifted.
He was now the sole guy left in a room with Erina, Hisako, Megumi, Yuki, and Ryoko.
The three Polar Star girls were easygoing and completely comfortable around him. But Erina and Hisako—
Truthfully, Erina had intended to leave right after the meal. But upon hearing the suggestion of a card game, something inexplicable kept her rooted to her chair.
She didn't know exactly why. Perhaps for the very first time in her rigidly controlled life, simply hanging out in this casual, unpretentious atmosphere made her feel genuinely comfortable.
I'll just stay for one quick round, and then we'll leave.
Erina justified to herself.
Shijun pulled a crisp, unopened deck of playing cards from a drawer.
"What are we playing?"
Yuki asked, leaning forward with sudden interest.
"Let's play something heavily competitive but easy for a big group." Shijun grinned, shuffling the deck with practiced flair. "How about Daifugo (Grand Millionaire)?"
"Daifugo? Oh, I love that game!"
Yuki cheered, while Megumi and Ryoko nodded in agreement.
It was a staple Japanese card game of climbing the social ladder, where players try to empty their hands first. The winner becomes the "Daifugo" (Tycoon) and gets to steal the best cards from the loser, who becomes the "Daihinmin" (Extreme Beggar) in the next round.
Erina's beautiful eyes flickered with hesitant curiosity.
Instinctively, her aristocratic upbringing told her to decline. The Ice Queen didn't play rowdy parlor games with commoners. Aside from playing quiet games of chess with Hisako, nobody knew she actually harbored a deep, competitive love for games.
Her face twisted into an agonizingly cute display of inner conflict.
Shijun caught her warring expressions and chuckled softly.
"Come on, Nakiri. It's good to just turn your brain off and play with friends occasionally. If you constantly isolate yourself on a pedestal, you'll go crazy sooner or later."
The girl was always like this—desperately putting up a cold, untouchable front, while secretly yearning to just be part of the group.
"He's right, Erina-sama. Let's just play a few rounds to digest, and then we can head back."
Hisako whispered, easily reading her master's unspoken desire.
"F-Fine. Just for a little while."
Erina conceded, slowly shifting her chair as everyone gathered around the coffee table.
Shijun dealt the cards.
As the rounds progressed, Erina's inner competitive demon awoke.
By the third round, Erina had successfully clawed her way to the top rank of Daifugo. She picked up her newly dealt hand, and her eyes practically sparkled.
A pair of 2s—the absolute highest numerical cards in the game. And a Joker, the ultimate wild card. It was an untouchable, god-tier hand.
She smiled, a wide, haughty, and genuinely thrilled expression blooming on her face.
She began dropping her cards with aggressive, triumphant snaps, clearing her hand with ruthless efficiency. Megumi and Ryoko were quickly crushed under her barrage of high cards, forced to pass their turns.
Erina's smile grew increasingly smug as she looked across the table at Shijun, who was currently ranked as the lowly Daihinmin (Beggar).
She felt an overwhelming rush of victory.
Hah! I might not be able to beat you in the kitchen, but I am undeniably superior when it comes to cards!
Erina felt incredibly smug. Simply finding one arena where she could absolutely dominate the monster known as Shijun was intoxicating.
"Pass."
Yuki groaned, tossing her cards down.
It was down to just Erina and Shijun. Erina held her pair of 2s, ready to drop the ultimate hammer and claim her flawless victory.
"It seems you're out of options, Shijun." Erina declared proudly, her chin tilted up in absolute triumph. "I play a pair of 2s! The highest cards in the game. You can't beat this!"
She leaned forward, her heart racing. She hadn't felt this kind of pure, unadulterated thrill in ages. It almost rivaled the high of cooking a perfect dish.
She was already preparing to declare her victory and demand his best cards for the next round.
However.
Just as Erina reached out to claim her win, Shijun let out a soft chuckle.
"You're right, Nakiri. A pair of 2s is incredibly strong." Shijun said, his expression completely calm. "Under normal circumstances, anyway."
Slowly, deliberately, Shijun placed four cards onto the table.
Four 3s.
"Four of a kind." Shijun announced, a devilish smirk crossing his lips. "Kakumei (Revolution)."
Erina froze.
Her hand hovered mid-air, her triumphant smile instantly shattering like fragile glass.
In Daifugo, dropping four matching cards triggers a Revolution. The entire hierarchy of the game is instantly inverted. The weakest cards become the absolute strongest.
Which meant Erina's invincible, untouchable pair of 2s... were now the weakest, most useless garbage in the entire deck.
"R-Revolution...?"
Erina whispered, the color draining from her face.
"Looks like the Tycoon just got overthrown by the Beggar." Shijun laughed, seamlessly playing his remaining low cards—now the highest in the game—and emptying his hand. "I win."
Bullcrap!
Erina stared blankly at her useless 2s, her mind completely blanking out.
A Revolution?! Are you kidding me?!
The kitchen had been her defeat, and now the coffee table was her graveyard. The Ice Queen had been utterly, mercilessly overthrown.